This Front Door Makeover Is Immediately Going on My Fall Mood Board
When the air becomes a little crisper and fall weather sets in, there’s no better time to spruce up your front door. (After all, trick-or-treaters and their parents might be visiting on October 31.) Whether you’re adding a wreath, a new doormat, or some other fall front door idea, you don’t have to make significant changes to create a whole new look.
But designer Lauren Saab (@saabstudios.design) took her 1950s home’s front door to a whole new level. She started with gray brick and a green door — and then transformed it all with paint.
“In a world that often celebrates new construction, I am partial to homes with history,” Lauren says. “They have a character that cannot be replicated. Houses from that era were built with a permanence and care you rarely see today. The challenge and the joy has been bringing it into the present without erasing the past.”
The front entrance got a paint makeover.
Lauren made the color scheme more contemporary by using a gray-black (HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams’ Chimney Smoke) paint for the bricks, and a bright red (Benjamin Moore’s China Red) for the door.
She also added a new door knocker, gold house numbers (not pictured for privacy), and switched up the overhead light fixture. Now she has a mid-century modern house front with a modern color palette.
Take your time when it comes to exterior paint jobs.
Her best advice for painting a home’s exterior? Don’t rush it when it comes to picking the paint or doing the prep work. “Exterior paint looks completely different depending on light and time of day, so give yourself time to live with your samples before deciding,” she says.
Plus, she recommends power-washing away dirt and mildew, scraping or sanding any peeling areas, and repairing cracks so the paint can properly adhere. If the surface has never been painted before, use a primer to create an even base and help the color last. “A well-done exterior paint job should protect your home and make it feel refreshed, not just repainted,” Lauren says.
To see beyond Lauren’s front door, check out her full house tour.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.